7 Differences: Plastic Surgeon vs Cosmetic Surgeon

You want the best result, and the best surgeon. How can you tell? Truthfully, the surgeon with the highest standards for his or her own performance reliably holds the highest standards across the board. The best surgeon will have the highest level of training and certification, and will offer you the best care, and likely the best result.

So how can you know? Plastic surgeon or cosmetic surgeon? The differences may surprise you. Because of common misconceptions surrounding cosmetic plastic surgery, you should understand what’s behind the scrubs and the white coat.

Operations that improve the human body are called Plastic Surgery after the Latin plasticus: that may be molded. The two types of plastic surgery are reconstructive surgery, after injuries, and aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery, to improve appearance. Cosmetic surgery is only a part of plastic surgery, but to perform it well, the physician must be fully trained in the entire specialty.

1. All plastic surgeons are cosmetic surgeons but not all cosmetic surgeons are plastic surgeons.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeons have more training and ARE qualified to perform both reconstructive and aesthetic/cosmetic surgery.

A Cosmetic Surgeon is NOT certified to perform plastic/reconstructive surgery.

4. Is my surgeon trained to perform my surgery?

After graduating medical school, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon must be selected among many applicants for residency training in Plastic Surgery. If chosen, the physician learns how to be a surgeon for three to five years, then trains for at least three more years in plastic surgery. Training involves closely supervised continuous evaluation and management of many complex clinical situations, and matures the surgeon personally and professionally. Successful completion of the post-graduate residency years qualifies the surgeon for written and oral examinations administered by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Surgeons must submit an entire year of his or her surgical accomplishments for the exam. Surgeons are not eligible for the exam until they have been practicing plastic surgery independently for two years or longer.

There are no such requirements for Cosmetic Surgeons. Cosmetic surgeons are doctors who merely decide to perform cosmetic surgery in their practice. They may be certified in any medical specialty such as a gynecology, dermatology, family physician, ear,-nose-throat, etc. Their training may consist of several short weekend courses to a one-year cosmetic surgery fellowship.

Because they know the difference! Board Certified Plastic Surgeons CAN perform both reconstructive and aesthetic/cosmetic surgery in hospital or outpatient surgery centers.

Cosmetic Surgeons are NOT privileged for cosmetic surgery at these facilities and are not allowed to perform reconstructive plastic surgery. For this reason, cosmetic surgeons usually perform surgery in office based operating rooms which are subject to more relaxed accreditation standards.

I didn’t know that all plastic surgeons are cosmetic surgeons, but not vice versa. We need to work with a plastic surgeon because my child needs plastic surgery to fix a cleft palate. I didn’t know there was such thing as kids plastic surgery before we found out our child needed help, but I’m glad there are people out there to help fix his problem!